The most serious crimes murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson are tracked by the Crime Index.

Crime Index offenses are used nationally as a basis for comparison of criminal activity.The number of Crime Index offenses statewide has risen by 2.77 percent, over a decade, from 320,737 in 2001 to 329,627 in 2011.Narrowing the focus, the number of serious offenses rose substantially, by 27.65 percent, from 43,716 in 2001 to 55,413 in 2011, in counties within the Common Human Service Region, which includes Carbon, Schuylkill, Monroe, Berks, Lehigh, Northampton, Pike, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Sullivan, Wyoming, Wayne, Susquehanna, Bradford and Tioga counties.